Archaeological Museum in Poznań

The Archaeological Museum in Poznań is housed in the Renaissance Górka Palace (Pałac Górków, say "PAH-wats GOOR-koof") at Wodna 27, a block south of the Old Market Square. Founded in 1857, it is one of Poland's oldest archaeological museums, and its glass-roofed courtyard holds a genuine obelisk of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Prehistoric Greater Poland, the birth of the Polish state and Nile Valley finds from Sudan make it a strong rainy-day pick among things to do in Poznań, and entry is free on Tuesdays.

The building: Górka Palace

The palace was created between roughly 1545 and 1549 by merging several Gothic townhouses for the powerful Górka family. It later served the city, a Benedictine convent, a girls' school and rental flats. Badly damaged in 1945, it was rebuilt in 1960–1967 using an 1833 lithograph and old photographs, which allowed restorers to uncover Renaissance arcades and two Renaissance portals. The museum moved here in 1954.

What to see

• "Prehistory of Greater Poland" – from Stone Age hunters to the early Middle Ages, with a particularly rich Lusatian culture collection.
• "Poland Was Born Here" – the origins of the Piast state, which began in this region in the 10th century.
• "Archaeology of Sudan" – the fruit of decades of Poznań-led excavations along the Nile.
• "Rock Art of North Africa."
• The obelisk of Ramesses II in the courtyard, on long-term loan from Berlin's Egyptian Museum since 2000, topped with a gilded pyramidion.
• A new permanent Egyptian exhibition, "The Joy of Life in the Glow of Ra," is announced as "coming soon" – check whether it has opened.
• Temporary show "Roads to the Past: 30 Years of Polish Rescue Archaeology" runs until November 8, 2026.

Opening hours (as of October 2026)

• School season (September 1 – June 30, including winter 2026/27): Tue–Thu 9:00–16:00, Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat 11:00–18:00, Sun 12:00–16:00.
• Summer (July–August): Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat 11:00–18:00, Sun 12:00–16:00.
• Closed Mondays; last entry 30 minutes before closing.

Tickets

• Górka Palace: 20 PLN regular, 15 PLN reduced, 50 PLN family (up to 6 people, max. 2 adults).
• Combined ticket with the Genius Loci archaeological reserve: 30 / 25 / 80 PLN.
• Free admission every Tuesday at Wodna 27.
• Free audio guides; an English-speaking guide costs 100 PLN per group (Tue–Fri). Tickets are also sold online.

How to get there and how long to stay

The museum is at Wodna 27, about 150 m south of the Town Hall in the pedestrian Old Town. Poznań is around 2.5–3 hours by direct train from Berlin or Warsaw; from Poznań Główny station it's a 25-minute walk. Allow 1–1.5 hours. Kids usually love the obelisk and the African galleries, and there are children's workshops.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you want context for Poland's beginnings before heading to Ostrów Tumski, the island where the first Polish rulers built their stronghold. Combine it with the museum's Genius Loci branch there, or stay in the Old Town for the Town Hall goats at noon and the Greater Poland Uprising Museum.